New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS): With Reliance Jio taking the premium 700MHz in all 22 telecom circles or zones, the company is set to provide its consumers much faster and efficient indoor 5G coverage in highly populated cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune and Chennai to gain more subscribers.

The 700 MHz spectrum can provide 6-10 km of signal range with one tower and forms a good base for offering 5G.

The pricey 700 MHz band saw bids worth Rs 39,270 crore, led by Reliance Jio.

Allocation of the 700 MHz band is one of the key solutions for meeting the mobile data explosion challenge faced by the telecom industry and regulators, seeking additional spectrum for the deployment of new mobile broadband networks and capacity.

Pulkit Pandey, Principal Analyst, Gartner, told IANS that the interest in the 700 MHz band by the telecom companies "indicates the communications service providers (CSPs) are focusing on enhanced indoor coverage, where the 700 MHz band could play a crucial role".

"This band could also help CSPs to provide standalone 5G services and introduce network slicing. This could be an indication for CSPs trying to also start working on standalone 5G," Pandey added.

Availability of prized 700MHz spectrum will mean that Jio has to upgrade only 1 lakh out of 3.5 lakh towers to cater to 80 per cent of target 5G opportunity in India, while peers have to upgrade a higher number of towers.

The 5G era will open 10 times faster than 4G and 30 times faster than 3G, allowing millions to have an experience never seen before.

Jio said that its unique 700 MHz spectrum footprint will make it the only operator providing "true 5G" services across the country.

"The speed, scale and societal impact of Jio's 4G rollout is unmatched anywhere in the world. Now, with a bigger ambition and stronger resolve, Jio is set to lead India's march into the 5G era," said Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm.

According to chip-maker Qualcomm, the 700MHz spectrum can achieve more than 300 Mbps of download speed in trial conditions.

The 700 MHz spectrum will also help Jio to deliver 5G SA (standalone) services for enterprises.

"An operator having the sub-Ghz spectrum in its 5G layer can gain between 200-300 basis points (2-3 per cent) of total subscriber market, and a much higher number (10 per cent market share gain) over an operator that does not have a sub-Ghz layer in its 5G rollout," according to a white paper by global consulting firm Analysys Mason.

Sub-Ghz bands (usually in the range of 700Mhz and 900Mhz) are ideal for wireless applications, cover long distances and consume less power.

"Jio is fully ready for 5G rollout in the shortest period of time because of its nationwide fibre presence, all-IP network with no legacy infrastructure, indigenous 5G stack and strong global partnerships across the technology ecosystem," said the company.

Jio said its 5G network will enable the next generation of digital solutions that will accelerate India's AI-driven march towards becoming a $5+ trillion economy.